Tuesday December 16, 2008 8:00 pm

MacWorld 2009 to be Apple’s last, No Steve Jobs Keynote

Well, how’s this for a shocker? After all the issues we’ve been hearing about as it pertains to MacWorld 2009, the final nail in the coffin has been delivered by Apple themselves - there will be no Steve Jobs keynote to kick off the show, and this will be the last MacWorld that Apple will participate in. Did you get that? Apple is pulling out of MacWorld! As for the keynote, Phil Schiller, Apple Senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, will be taking the stage.

We don’t like it any more than you do. Phil’s awkward stage presence is nothing compared to the stuff of legends that Steve pulls off time and time again. Let’s just hope that this means more Apple Town Hall style events throughout the year, since they won’t be participating in the MacWorld event. Oh, and fingers crossed that Phil will announce new Mac Pros, Mac minis, and Cinema Displays. Thanks.

Apple Announces Its Last Year at Macworld

CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today announced that this year is the last year the company will exhibit at Macworld Expo. Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple’s last keynote at the show. The keynote address will be held at Moscone West on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Macworld will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center January 5-9, 2009.
Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple’s Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.
Apple has been steadily scaling back on trade shows in recent years, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

(C) 2008 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.